Oily cold water fish, such as salmon, trout, herring, and tuna are the source of dietary marine omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) being the key marine derived omega-3 fatty acids. Both niacin and marine omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and reduce mortality in patients with dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, or Type 2 diabetes, and metabolic disease. Niacin at high dose (1.5 to 4 grams per day) has been shown to improve very low-density lipoprotein (“VLDL”) levels through lowering Apolipoprotein B (“ApoB”) and raising high density lipoprotein (“HDL”) through increasing Apolipoprotein A1 (“ApoA1”) in the liver. Niacin can also inhibit diacylglycerol acyltransferase-2, a key enzyme for TG synthesis (Kamanna, V. S.; Kashyap, M. L. Am. J. Cardiol. 2008, 101 (8A), 20B-26B). Unfortunately, niacin has many actions outside of the liver that detract from its therapeutic utility. The most common side effect of niacin is flushing, which can limit the dose a patient can tolerate. Flushing is thought to occur through the GPR109 receptor in the vasculature.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in normoglycemic men and in obese individuals. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to improve insulin resistance in obese and non-obese patients with an inflammatory phenotype. Lipid, glucose, and insulin metabolism have been show to be improved in overweight hypertensive subjects through treatment with omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) have also been shown to decrease triglycerides and to reduce the risk for sudden death caused by cardiac arrhythmias in addition to improve mortality in patients at risk of a cardiovascular event. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been taken as part of the dietary supplement portion of therapy used to treat dyslipidemia.
The ability to provide the effects of niacin and omega-3 fatty acid in a synergistic way would provide a great benefit in treating the aforementioned diseases.